Article for Just Another Magazine

(Something I had to write for JAM, our dear sponsors)
Courtesy: Hon.Dham, Hon.Rohit Mulay
:P

January ended with a resonant sound from the Nerul Dr. D. Y. Patil University campus: ‘Rhapsody’
15 unique musical notes, coming from 15 different colleges under the D. Y. Patil University umbrella, fused together to form one strong melody which resulted in a week full of massive events inviting droves of city students.

In view of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, Rhapsody ‘09 had a unique theme: ‘Soldiering Life’

Rhapsody ’09, one of the biggest college festivals in Mumbai, had a noble cause. Organizing committee generated money from nearby Vashi malls for pre-Kargil martyr families who did not get enough compensation from the Indian government.
Three families, specially flown in, were felicitated and presented with a cheque of Rs.65,000 each.

Festival was alive throughout the last week with grand events witnessing overwhelming response.

‘The Unchained’, headlined by ‘Devoid’, was attended by hundreds of dedicated metal heads who head-banged their way to glory.
Being a stepping stone for bands like ‘PDV’, ‘Demonic Resurrection’, ‘Cryptic’, ‘Zero’ and ‘Myndsnare’ in attending pro-status, this event is a brand within itself and enjoys participation from bands all over the nation. \m/

‘Fashion Show’ boasted of majestic performances by fashion troupes of around 10 colleges. It was the University’s obeisance to Paris, Milan and all that is considered as Fashion. Haute Couture, anyone?

‘Just a Minute’ competition was the most popular literary event in which a single stammer and hesitancy by the participant saw others verbally tearing at him for points from the judges; encouraging spontaneity and quick wit.

‘Bike Treasure Hunt’ had 120 participants racing around Navi Mumbai, sniffing for clues here and unearthing them across the city.

‘Pop Band Competition’ was another event which saw attendance of hundreds. The winners strummed their way to 50 hours of recording time and Rs.10,000 in cash!

‘Amazing Race’ with around 200 participants saw a repeat of the famous AXN show in the entire University campus. These amazing racers did everything from eating chilies to sprinting around wild-eyed. Crowd turnout just to watch the participants running around was even greater!

‘Perceptions’ had amateur and professional photographers capturing the spirit of Rhapsody through their individual lenses. With over 150 entries and changing themes, the photography event helped freeze the Rhapsodized population in its spirit forever.

The mood and dust is yet to settle down in this vibrant campus where the students have already started looking forward to Rhapsody ’10!

Rhapsody '09: Tuning a Guitar

Image Courtesy: Pankaj Anand (Participant- 'Perceptions')
Event: The Unchained
Theme: The Stage

So it was all over in 6 days.

‘Rhapsody’ ended with an enjoyable concert in which local bands ruled the stage.

Name was given to the festival keeping in mind that 15 various streams are coming together to cooperate and organize one ‘massive’ festival.

That was one of the few things I loved about Rhapsody ’09.

It was a great feeling to interact with folks from Dental, Medical, Biotech, Law and what not. :P

Rhapsody:

Many melodies… unique and wonderful… fused together to form one strong note of music.

But even the best guitarist loses his notes now and then.

He never repeats his mistakes, does he?

He promises to learn.

I and Dhanashree organized the photography event- ‘Perceptions’.

It was fairly successful and saw more than 150 entries.

My buddies were spread out in events like The Unchained, Kalaraag, Informals and the Amazing Race.

Being a part of the organizing committee, I’ll say that we gave our best.

We don’t get everything in life… especially when we don’t hold the reins.

The last night was fun.

It was awesome.

Saw a nice turnout and the bands were good.

I was drooling over all the cameras passing through my hands.

Came back home early since we had college early next morning! :P

May it be Rhapsody next year or may it be Horizon again, I have learnt quite a few things and won’t let the guitar lose its tune again.

*‘Sweet Child of Mine’ plays in the background*